Portal:Australia/Anniversaries

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More did you know's - (scrolling list)

Did you know? consists of a series of "hooks", which are interesting facts taken from Wikipedia's newest or recently expanded Australian related articles. The choice of articles is subject to a series of criteria, see DYK rules for more information.

... that starting at age 16, future Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci was named top sewing machine salesperson three years in a row?
... that George Jenkins was described in 1901 as "the happiest, proudest, most important and most worried individual" in Australia, but 90 years later as "a lazy, dictatorial, unctuous opportunist"?
... that an Australian High Court case found a hotel chain to have used third-party contractors to avoid paying employees their required benefits?
... that the 2022 Optus data breach affected over a third of Australians?
... that BoysTown was reported as having the largest case of child abuse in Australia's history?
... that the Bluey special "The Sign" reminded a Sydney Morning Herald reporter of Australia's housing crisis?
... that Anna Burke was the second woman to give birth while a member of the Australian House of Representatives?
... that Collingwood coach Robert Harvey gave Anton Tohill his AFL debut in 2021, having played International Rules Series against Tohill's father in the 1990s?
... that a dispute over paid sick leave at a chocolate factory ended up before the High Court of Australia in Mondelez v AMWU?
... that Jack Critchley, state parliamentarian then senator for South Australia, was invalided home from the Western Front with "wry neck"?
... that the United Ukrainian Ballet Company, consisting of exiled dancers based in The Hague, has toured the UK, Singapore, Australia and the US?
... that Towa Tei's "Sometime Samurai" remained unfinished for eight years until Australian singer Kylie Minogue re-recorded the song in 2004?
... that Australian senator Ben Small had been a ship's officer, bar owner, paramedic, ambulance trainer, and logistician before entering politics?
... that politics in The Simpsons have caused controversy in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, and Japan?
... that Nicole Kidman is the first Australian to win the Academy Award for Best Actress?
... that Australia has three major Japanese language schools?
... that the Australian government tried to censor a film of Quail Island's starving koalas?
... that Baillieu Myer and his siblings were born in California because their father's prior divorce was not recognised under Australian law?
... that politician John D'Orazio helped to secure a three-year trial of daylight saving time in Western Australia?
... that Peter Read coined the term "Stolen Generations" to refer to Aboriginal children who were forcibly separated from their families by Australian governments?
... that the Scottish Register of Tartans has registered district tartans for Australia as a whole, and also a state district tartan for each of Australia's six states?
... that John Dique constructed the machine used by the first Australian patient to receive dialysis?
... that Edward Thonen, one of the miners killed in the Eureka Rebellion, had gained notoriety in England as a jewellery thief prior to his emigration to Australia?
... that in the 1920s, Australian journalist E. George Marks predicted military conflict in the Pacific between Japan and the United States?
... that in 2010, Lauren Mitchell became the first Australian female artistic gymnast to win a world title?
... that the government of Victoria, Australia, has a program to remove 110 level crossings by 2030, the fastest rate in the state's history?
... that the Greco-Australian dialect, a variety of Modern Greek, blends words with English roots into the Greek language?
... that in 1939, a teenage Robin Ordell became the youngest radio announcer in Australia?
... that Sarah Cox brought the first breach of promise suit in Australia, during which she was represented by her future husband William Wentworth?
... that Nixon's "Slaughtergate" scandal involved selling kangaroo meat as beef?
... that Australian politicians may face the pub test?
... that in 1919 nurse Hilda Hope McMaugh became the first Australian woman to qualify as a pilot?
... that the developers of Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number suggested that Australian customers pirate their game?
... that indigenous Australian artist Daniel Boyd has depicted colonial figures including Captain James Cook and Governor Arthur Phillip as pirates?
... that the first imported copies of Norman Lindsay's Age of Consent were confiscated by Australian customs authorities?
... that Nick Goiran, a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council, proposed 357 amendments to a voluntary assisted dying bill?
... that Scottish painter Gordon Coutts left Australia without paying maintenance to his estranged wife, but was arrested in New Zealand?
... that David Dexter, who wrote the New Guinea volume in the series Australia in the War of 1939–1945, was a commando who served in East Timor and New Guinea?
... that Australian gamer Zer0 led his team to an Apex Legends Global Series championship with a substitution teammate to whom he had never spoken before?
... that Barcroft Boake, the author of one of Australia's most anthologised poems, hanged himself with a stockwhip a few months after it was published?
... that Australian official Jack Emanuel was awarded the George Cross in 1971 after being stabbed to death whilst trying to resolve a land dispute with the Tolai people of New Guinea?
... that Eva Duldig, who was interned by Australia during the Second World War, later represented the country at the Wimbledon Championships?
... that Genevieve Beacom became the first woman to pitch in the Australian Baseball League when she made her debut for the Melbourne Aces in 2022?
... that Mark Hutton was the first Australian to be a starting pitcher in a Major League Baseball game?
... that the Victoria State Government has ordered 100 G-class trams, which is the largest domestic order in Australian history?

More current events - (scrolling list)

13 July 2024 – Australia–Russia relations: Russia accuses Australia of inciting "anti-Russian paranoia" after Australia charged a Russian-born Australian couple with espionage. (Reuters)
10 July 2024 –: Two Australian tourists and a Filipino woman are killed during a mass stabbing at a hotel in Tagaytay, Philippines. (AP)
3 July 2024 – Israel–Hamas war protests: Pro-Palestinian protesters climb the roof of the Australian Parliament building in Canberra, Australia. (Al Jazeera)
2 July 2024 –: Australia issues statements to several social media and search engine websites ordering the websites to draft and enforce guidelines to prevent minors from seeing inappropriate material before October 3 or face national restrictions. (Reuters)
1 July 2024 –: The Australian Government increases the visa fee for international students from A$710 (US$473) to A$1,600 (US$1,068) in an attempt to reduce record levels of migration that have increased pressure on the Australian housing market. (Reuters); Sam Mostyn is sworn in as the 28th Governor-General of Australia. (ABC News Australia)
24 June 2024 –: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange enters a plea deal with the U.S. Justice Department, in which he will be found guilty on one federal charge in exchange for his release back to Australia. (ABC News)
10 June 2024 – Israel–Hamas war: The United States Consulate General in Sydney, Australia, is vandalized by a pro-Palestinian activist. (NBC News)
22 May 2024 – 2024 New Caledonia unrest: Australia and New Zealand begin evacuating their citizens from New Caledonia amid civil unrest. (AP)
9 May 2024 – Australia–Tuvalu relations: Australia and Tuvalu sign a new security agreement, whereby Australia agrees to protect Tuvalu during natural disasters, pandemics, or military aggression. (AP)
5 May 2024 – Terrorism in Australia: A man is injured in a stabbing at a car park in Perth, Australia. The 16-year-old perpetrator is killed by police officers and is described as a "religious radicalized individual". A possible Islamist motive is behind the attack. (DW)
3 May 2024 –: Mexican authorities locate the bodies of three tourists, one American and two Australians, in Baja California, where they were reported missing in April. Three people have been arrested and are being questioned in relation to the case. (Reuters) (BBC News)
28 April 2024 –: Nicole Kidman becomes the first Australian to earn the AFI Life Achievement Award for her contribution to American cinema. (Rolling Stone)
19 April 2024 – 2024 Iran–Israel conflict: The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade tells its citizens to leave Israel, citing a high threat of military reprisals and terrorist attacks. (Times of Israel)